Pope praises Japan's efforts to stop North Korean nuclear tests

Published: 2006-11-13

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Saying violence will never bring peace and security, Pope Benedict XVI praised Japan for its efforts to promote negotiations to stop nuclear proliferation in North Korea and throughout the Far East. During a Nov. 13 meeting, Pope Benedict welcomed Kagefumi Ueno as Japan's new ambassador to the Vatican. "The search for peace between nations must be a priority in international relations," the pope said. Recent wars and armed interventions, he said, prove that violence is never an answer "because it destroys the human dignity, life and freedom it claims to defend." He said, "I thus invite your country to resolutely continue its efforts to contribute to a just and stable peace in the world, particularly in the Far East." North Korea conducted a nuclear test Oct. 9, and less than a week later the U.N. Security Council unanimously approved a resolution to impose sanctions on North Korea, including ship searches for banned weapons, an assets freeze and a travel ban on people related to the nuclear arms program.

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